


Day 5: Haze

by ANE925



Series: 30 Days Tumblr Prompt Challenge [5]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Hale Family Feels, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Multiple Universes, Past Kate Argent/Derek Hale, Witch Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-22
Updated: 2013-10-22
Packaged: 2017-12-30 04:31:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1014112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ANE925/pseuds/ANE925
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles had just wanted to go for a walk. Was that too much to ask for? Apparently, because the next thing he knows, he is stumbling around in a thick haze. When he finally finds his way out, he goes to Derek assuming that Derek will know what’s going on. Only, when confronted, Derek has no clue what is going on. In fact, he has no idea who Stiles is. What is going on?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Day 5: Haze

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Play It Again](https://archiveofourown.org/works/862320) by [metisket](https://archiveofourown.org/users/metisket/pseuds/metisket). 



> It’s not in the tags, but I wanted to warn everyone that there is mention of an off-screen death in this fic, for one of the minor characters. However, he comes back? Rather, it’s like the main one didn't die? Which is why I didn't tag it, because it’s like he already died but at the same time the main one doesn't? This will all make sense if you read the fic, I swear. Also, this work was inspired by the amazing fanfic ‘Play It Again’ by Metisket. Which everyone should go read, I will share the link in the bottom notes.

Stiles stumbled over yet another root. God damn forest filled with God damn haze. Where the hell had it even come from? One minute Stiles was happily strolling along his favorite path through the Hale forest, then, the next thing he knew, it was suddenly foggy and he was stumbling around lost. This was not his forest. Stiles knew his forest. Literally. He knew all the spirits and all the innocent mythical creatures that lived there. He talked with the wind and listened to the trees. He painted with the colors of the fucking wind. This was not his forest. But, oddly, at the same time, it was. Everything felt like his forest just... off, different. It felt like his forest, but through a magical haze...

'Damn it. This is totally magic haze, isn't it?... Awesome,’ just as the thought crossed Stiles' mind, the haze lifted.

Just as suddenly as it had appeared, it vanished. He was back in the Hale forest. Except, when he had left, it was early autumn. Now it was late spring. ‘What. The. Hell?’

Stiles took off running, straight to his house. He had to make sure that his father was ok. 'This was not good. Was that what the haze did? Trapped in him suspended reality as the rest of the world moved on? How long was he gone for?  Shit. Shit. Shit...'

Stiles took his porch steps two at a time and jammed his key into the lock. He might no longer live with his father, but he still kept a key to the house in case of supernatural emergencies.

"Dad? Dad!" Stiles called out. When no answer came, he looked out the window and saw that the driveway was, indeed, empty. Pulling out his phone, Stiles quickly stabbed in a 2 for his father's speed dial. It went straight to voice-mail. All five times.

'Ok, ok, calm down, maybe he is just busy.' Stiles told himself as he punched in the numbers for the station.

"Hello, Beacon Hills..." started the receptionist.

"Yeah, yeah, hi Cynthia. Look..." Stiles started before he was so rudely cut off.

"Stiles," Cynthia said gently, her voice filled kindness, understanding, and ...pity? What the hell?

"Stiles..." Cynthia continued, gently, "Sweetie, you need to go back to the McCalls’. Everyone has been so worried about you since you took off. I know it has been hard since you lost your Dad. Hell, his death has been hard on all of us sweetie. But you still have people who care about you here and.."

Stiles had no idea what she said next because he couldn't fucking breath. No. There was no way that his Dad had died. And, shit, this was all his fault, wasn't it? It was because he hadn't been here to protect him with the pack and...

"Derek!" Stiles gasped out, finding his breath. He pulled himself up from where he had sunk against the wall. Distracted, he barely noticed that Cynthia was still talking, sounding panicked, as he shut his phone and took off again. This time back towards the woods, to the Hale house that he, Derek, and the pack had finally finished rebuilding last year.

'What happened? Had something big rolled in while he was gone? If it got his Dad, who else did it get? God, Derek better be alive. Derek couldn't have died.' These thoughts kept circling along with concern for all of the pack members. He could see the Hale house now and it seemed to be fine. Still standing, undamaged, but no one was coming out to greet him.

"Sourwolf! Derek! Derek!" Stiles yelled, getting louder the closer he got to the house.

"Derek Jeremy Hale! You get your werewolf ass out here this instant!"  Stiles screamed, nearing full-on hysterics. That did it. Derek came banging out the front door and down the porch. Then, he just kinda froze upon seeing Stiles. Not that Stiles cared in the least. He just threw himself at Derek in relief, wrapping his arms around Derek's neck and his legs around Derek’s waist. Stiles gave Derek no time to talk as he claimed his mouth in a desperate kiss. Stiles needed this. He needed to affirm that Derek was safe was alive was...

Stiles was thrown off Derek and onto his ass. Stunned and a little pissed, Stiles looked up at Derek, ready to launch into a screaming fit, when Derek cut him off.

"What the hell? Who the hell are you?" Derek demanded and Stiles felt something in him just break.

"Come on, Sourwolf. Stop joking around..." Stiles said with a weak chuckle, feeling tears gather in the corner of his eyes. At Derek's blank face, Stiles' despair grew.

"Derek, come on it's me… Stiles," he tried again.

"You know him Derek?" a new voice asked, and a turn of his head revealed that it was Laura Hale. Who was dead. Stiles had found her dead. Well half of her anyway. And...

"No. Not a clue," Derek replied to his sister. His older sister. Who was alive... again. And, with that, Stiles broke down and had his first full on panic attack in years.

______________________________________________________________________________

"Breath with me Stiles. That's it. That's a good boy. Breath with me," Stiles had no idea who was talking, or how much time had passed. However, the voice was soothing, comforting, and authoritative. But it wasn't enough. Not after years of Derek anchoring him. He needed to feel Derek. Feel his warmth, count his heart beats, breath in his scent. He needed it more than he needed air. More than he needed to breath, he needed to know that he hadn't lost everyone that he loved.

Some of his thoughts must of made it out because he saw the women move aside and wave for someone. Then Derek was right there kneeling beside him, looking scared and unsure.

"Please..." Stiles begged and Derek gave him a small nod, shuffling closer. As soon as he could, Stiles reached out and grabbed onto Derek. Scrambling onto his lap, Stiles shoved his right hand up Derek's shirt to rest over his heart and his nose into the hollow of Derek's neck while his left hand stayed, clutching Derek's shoulder. Derek himself just kneeled there, holding himself stiff, making Stiles whimper. At his noise of distress, and maybe a sign from the women that Stiles couldn’t see, Derek raised his hands to Stiles’ back and rubbed it in, what was probably supposed to be, a calming manner that just ended up feeling stiff and awkward.

It didn't matter, it was close enough. Stiles felt himself calming down as he proved to himself that Derek wasn't dead. Stiles’ fingers started tapping out the beat of Derek's heart, counting, as he calmed himself.

"There, there... You're safe," Derek whispered. However, he just sounded awkward and unsure, somehow managing to make the statement sound like a question rather than a statement. Stiles couldn't help but laugh at that.

"My knight! I feel so safe and secure now!" Stiles snarked, his words filled, almost completely, with sarcasm.

"I think he's feeling better..." Derek deadpanned, but made no sign of moving. Which was awesome, seeing as how Stiles had no intention of letting go yet. He was getting there, but he wasn't quite there yet.

"Stiles, sweetie, how are you feeling?" the woman asked and now that Stiles could see her, it was Derek's mother.

"Better," Stiles mumbled, suddenly embarrassed about the scene that he had caused. Then, because he, obviously, hadn't been embarrassing enough yet, Stiles stomach grumbled.

Derek's mother chuckled sweetly, "I was going to ask if you were hungry, but you seem to have already answered me. Come on, my husband brewed some tea and we can get you fed. Sound good?" she asked, holding out her hand.

"That sounds wonderful. Thank you Mrs. Hale," Stiles said, taking her hand and getting out of Derek's lap.

"Please, call me Talia," she said with a gentle smile.

"Oh... ok, thank you Talia," Stiles replied with a smile of his own.

Talia got him settled at the table with a bowl of homemade soup and a truly amazing cup of tea.

"So, you all are being really quiet. Not that I don't appreciate it but... "

"Why aren't we asking you a million questions and trying to find out how you know we are werewolves?" Talia finished for him with an amused grin.

"Uh, yeah..." Stiles said.

"Well, judging from those tattoos and the energy that you are giving off, you have, at least, some magic, though I am willing to bet you are a full-fledged witch," Stiles was impressed. Not many beings supernatural or otherwise, really noticed that his magic that he gave off or, if they did, thought nothing of it. Talia must have noticed what he was thinking because she smiled again and explained,"Peter studies magic and, through him, we all learned to recognize magic users and how powerful they are. Though, I feel that you might be masking your true potential."

Right again. This woman was on fire and slightly terrifying.

"Now going off of that, it makes sense that you would be able to sense that we are werewolves. The real questions are: how you know Derek and why did you think it was appropriate to climb him like a tree and kiss him senseless in front of his entire family," she finished with a smirk and, though she still seemed to be in an agreeable mood, her eyes held a hint of steel that told him he had better have a very good answer. Stiles was wrong earlier, she was completely terrifying.  

"Um..." was his reply as he drew a complete blank on what to say.

'He's my fiancé and I was looking for comfort after finding out my Dad was dead and the pack we have is used to me doing that. Also, I never thought you would see being that you are dead. Have been for years...' Somehow, that didn't seem like the appropriate answer to give them. Especially, if he wanted to hold on to the small claim of sanity that he still had in their eyes.

"Fortunately for you," Talia started up again calmly, "I do not expect you to be able to answer questions tonight, given what you went through on our front lawn. Which, going from the...distress in your voice when you first called for Derek, was just the icing on top of the cake that your day has been. So, you will spend the night with us here and we will talk some more in the morning, when you feel a bit more settled," Talia stated, getting up from the table.   

"You'll sleep with Derek tonight given how he seems to...calm you," Talia started as she turned to leave the room. As both Stiles and Derek started to weakly protest, she turned to look at them. Then, with a voice that held no room for argument, said, "Plus, Derek's room is the only one with a spare bed right now and I don't really want you to sleep alone."

"Uh, well, thank you for your hospitality Ma'am," Talia's eyebrow slowly raised and, huh, guess it was a family trait, "I, um, mean Talia. I really am grateful," Stiles finished sheepishly, resigning himself to one truly awkward night.

"Come on," Derek said with a sigh.

"I'll show you where everything is," Derek said with a shy smile, holding out a hand. How was Stiles to refuse?

___________________________________________________________________________

Though it took a while to get there, Derek had been asleep for about an hour. It had, indeed, been as awkward as Stiles had predicted. He had followed Derek around, pretending to not know where everything was, though not particularly well, if Derek's eyebrows were to be believed. Then, he had to restrain himself from just flopping onto Derek's bed, curling up and breathing in his scent. It was 4 am and Stiles had seen no sign of sleep. It wasn't that the spare bed was bad, far from it, in all honesty, but how was he supposed to sleep alone, across the room from the man that he loved and had slept with every night for years? How was he supposed to sleep, knowing his father was dead and that the one man who could possibly calm him didn't know who he was. Stiles was exhausted, but feared what sleep would bring.

"Stiles..."

Stiles sat straight up in his bed. Looking around, he saw Derek still asleep in his bed, the windows and door were shut, and, if he used a little magic, he could tell that everyone was still passed out. So who...

"Stiles..."

There is was again. The voice was nothing like anything Stiles had heard before. It sounded young, almost childlike, in its whispered, musical quality, yet deep and ancient, like it held wisdom beyond measure. It sounded like wonderment and knowledge, innocence and experience, adventure and home, all wrapped up in one. Stiles was curious. He was drawn towards the conflicting voice.

"Who are you?" Stiles quietly asked, pulling back the sheets and standing up.

"Find me and see for yourself..." the voice teased, just as the window silently slide open. This... this was not ok. This was the start to every horror movie ever. This was a trap. A sweet, interesting voice that only he could hear sent to lure him to his death. Derek would never let...Derek didn't know him. Not on this side of the rainbow. And, maybe the voice could help. Could give him some answers about what had happened.

Stiles stood there, in the middle of the room, biting his lip. Should he stay or should he go? If he went there might be trouble but if he stayed...

A haze slipped in through the window, wrapping itself around Stiles and giving his magic a gentle tug. It... it was the same haze. Stiles couldn't tell how he knew, but he did. It felt the same. Without another thought, Stiles gracefully and silently jumped out the window. How he had managed that, he will never know. Of course, just as he jumped, he remembered that this was the third floor and there was nothing to catch him, save the very solid ground. Bracing himself for a, surely painful, impact, it took him a few seconds to realize that he was not falling, but, rather, slowly descending. Opening his eyes, Stiles noticed that the haze that covered the entire yard seemed to have come up to meet him and his circle of haze, gently lowering him to the ground.    

"Thank you," Stiles breathed. He couldn't be sure, but the haze suddenly seemed... happy?...proud? And now, Stiles was apparently talking to haze and expecting it to feel something because of it. Insanity was looking more and more valid... The haze seemed to be thinning and receding, only to come back towards him a moment later. Like the current of the ocean pulling him under. With no other leads from the voice, and a shrug, because why the hell not, Stiles followed, letting the haze sweep him up and lead him away.

Stiles was deeper into the forest then he had ever been before. The trees so ancient and big, that it was getting hard to walk between them. He could no longer see the sky and Stiles was beginning to think that he was no longer in the Hale forest. In fact, Stiles was beginning to doubt that he was still on Earth or, at least, the plane of Earth he was used to.  Just then, the trees gave way to an indescribable clearing. With all the words that Stiles had learned in this life and the stories that he had read, you would think he could compare it to something. But he really couldn't. There were no words that he could use to describe the clearing. And, right there, stood a woman just as indescribable as her surroundings. The haze that Stiles had been following left him and swirled around the woman, seeming...excited to see her. The woman smiled, gathered the haze in her hands, and gave it a sweet kiss, like a mother would give her child before bed.

"Thank you for bringing him here safely," the women said, clearly addressing the haze, and the haze took a form. What kind of form, Stiles had no idea and he was quickly growing tired of not knowing things or being able to describe things. Anyway, the haze, form, creature, thing, must have said something because the woman laughed and it just vanished. Like it had never been there.

"I'm totally going to die, aren't I?" Stiles asked the clearing at large. However, even as he said it, he knew it wasn't true. This, this just wasn't a place that you killed someone. It seemed too pure, too good, too reverent to be a place of such violence.

The woman laughed and, this close, it sounded light, like the music of the wind blowing through the trees or birds taking flight, however, it also sounded deep and sincere like the crashing of a waterfall or thunder rolling in the distance. Yeah, Stiles had no idea... That made no sense and he knew it, but, somehow, it fit this indescribable women in this indescribable place that sure as he...heck wasn't Earth. Good, goodness he couldn't even bring himself to curse here.

"My sweet boy, why, ever, would that happen? That would defeat the entire purpose of me bringing you here," she said with a smile, eyes filled with amusement.

"Ok… that's not ominous at all..." Stiles sarcastically drawled. If anything, that just seemed to amuse the woman more.

"So, you are the one who brought me here, right?" Stiles asked her. The woman nodded but said nothing.

"Ok... Why? And where exactly is here? And, not to be rude, but who are you?" Stiles questioned.

"You're a clever boy. Let's see if you can figure it out," She told him unhelpfully. And.. really? Stiles just got sent on an emotional rollercoaster, was lead places by magical haze, and now he had to answer his own questions!? If he knew the answers, he wouldn't have asked them in the first place! Well, ok, that was a lie. Stiles loved to ask questions. But, really, he couldn't get a break, just this once?     

Obviously not, considering that all the woman was doing was smiling at him. Though, now Stiles felt that it was a mocking smile. Like she was taking his measurements just to see what he was worth. With a sigh, Stiles thought. What did he know? He knew that he had probably been lead to another plane, meaning that this woman was powerful. He knew that everything about her reminded him of nature, that she talked with haze, and that she could even see into the Hale house.

"Honestly, all I am coming up with is that Mother Nature plucked me out of my world and lured me to her own personal plane to have a chit-chat about something," Stiles said with a weary sigh, hand running through his hair.

"Give the boy a prize..." The woman, apparently Mother freakin’ Nature, snarked at him.

"Wait, what?" Stiles exclaimed because, was he really supposed to believe that Mother Nature herself had decided that she wanted to talk with him? And not just talk with him, but sass him. And him? Who was he?

"Oh, my sweet, sweet child you are so much more important and powerful than you will ever give yourself credit for. Yes, I am Mother Nature and yes I, well truthfully I kidnapped you but, eh, semantics, called for you. We'll go with that. And yes, I did snark you because you, child, only seem to understand sass and sarcasm. Plus, I grow so tired of always being polite and correct in my speaking. I find talking with you refreshing," Mother Nature told him.

"You make it sound like we have talked before. I don't recall ever sitting down and having a cup of tea with Mother Nature before..."  Stiles replied because, really, he thinks that that is something he would remember.

"Oh, you haven't," she said stressing the you, "Or, well, you might have. Honestly, I have no idea. I was referring to the Stiles from this universe."

"This universe?" Stiles weakly asked.

"Oh, yes, did I fail to mention that?" She said sweetly, but with a sharp smirk and raised eyebrow.

"Could you, you know, maybe, start at the beginning and try this explaining thing again? Or, would that be too much trouble? I wouldn't want to inconvenience Mother Nature, you know," Stiles sassed back at her. Hey, if she was gonna be difficult...

"Oh, I have missed you greatly... Truly, if you haven't met me in your universe, you should seek me out. I'll love you, I promise," Mother Nature told him.

"Now, time to get to business," she started, "You see, I meet my Stiles when he was very young. His mother actually came from a long line of guardians. She met Talia Hale and they became the best of friends. Because of this..."

"I'm sorry, this is fascinating and all, but what does it have to do with me?" Stiles interrupted. He couldn't help it. His mother was still a tender subject all these years later. The loss of someone so close wasn't something you ever, really, got over. Plus, Stiles was starting to get an uncomfortable feeling in his gut, like a memory half forgotten.

"You need to know the whole story to get the picture," she told him, voice filled with understanding and patience.

"Now, hush, child and let me talk." she said with a grin before continuing.

"Now, because your mother meet Talia, she ended up in Beacon Hills. When she found out the that the forest had been left without any guardian other than the wolves for generations, she asked if Talia would mind it if she became its guardian. Having a guardian was very advantageous, for a guardian helped to bring together the forest and the beings living within it. Talia agreed and your mother moved here. Then, she meet your father, only a deputy at the time, and had you," She told him giving him a small sincere smile.

"Now, your mother was an amazing guardian. She was kind and understanding, patient yet firm. But, she was average, she did her job, and she did it well, but that was it. There were thousands of guardians like her across the world. Nothing to really draw my interest to Beacon Hills. But then, Talia had Derek." At the mention of Derek, Stiles couldn't help but sit up a little straighter on the ground.

"Sweet, innocent, average, beta Derek. You see, Derek was the middle child, overlooked and picked on by his siblings. Unimportant in the grand scheme of things, so he often got overlooked. Then, one night, Derek went wandering in the woods by himself. Now, at the time I didn't know what drew me to him, but I was drawn to him. I found him to be amazingly kind and caring. A sweet, gentle soul who always wanted to help, no matter what. However, the boy could sass like no one's business," she said, a fond smile spreading across her face at the memory.

"So, I approached Derek, not really believing he would see me. You see, it takes a special person to be able to actually see and talk with me. Imagine my shock when this small, five year old boy responded to me. Not only that, but he knew. That clever, clever, overlooked child knew I was different. Different from him, humans, and even the spirits he sometimes sensed in the forest," she told him, voice filled with pride and amazement.

"We played together in the safety of the forest for years. It was the first time in centuries that I had been so happy. You see, people had 'evolved'. They had moved on and forgotten all about spirits and magic and me. I used to play and talk with humans all the time. Then, they moved on, leaving me to watch from afar but no longer seeing me because they no longer believed in me," and she said this with such sadness in her voice that Stiles felt a tear trickle down his cheek in sympathy. He could feel the ache that humanity abandoning her had given her, and it hurt.

"Anyway, I adore Derek and I want nothing more than to see him happy, always. Which is where you come in!" she told him cheerfully.

"Now, you Stiles, you are truly special. When you were born, in accordance with tradition, your mother brought you out to the depths of the forest and baptized you under the moon. The entire Hale family was there for support and to help throughout the ceremony. So, of course, I was there. Off to the side, hidden away, naturally. I always see baptisms under the moon, whether the participants realize it or not," and again the sad longing was back in her voice.

"At first, no one but Derek saw me, which was usual. But, at the end of the ceremony, you started to cry. You had been so good until then and your cries were truly piercing, especially for the werewolves. So, I came forward to see if I could calm you, even if you would never realize that it was me. However, much to my eternal surprise, you looked me dead in the eye and stopped. Then, you giggled and reached for me. You, a mere baby, were reaching for me as if you could touch me. I found myself wondering. ‘Would you actually be able to touch me?’ Even Derek couldn't. So, I reached for you. What happened next, even I can't explain," she told him, wonderment and joy creeping into her voice.             

"As soon as I touched you, I became visible to everyone. For the first time in centuries, everyone could see me, could hear me. Of course, a woman just appearing caused panic and chaos. I quickly let go of you and disappeared again. I heard Derek calm down everyone, telling them I was just a spirit of the forest. Your mother, I remember, cried tears of joy. I kept a close eye on you after that. However, to you, unlike with Derek, I was always just an imaginary friend. No one corrected you because you were still so long. And then your mother fell ill," she was whispering now like remembering his mother’s fight hurt her just as much as it hurt him.

"She was so sick and I was just as powerless as a human to help. I would have saved her, for you, for Derek, if I could have. Then, because no one in this town is ever who they seem to be, she came to me. Snuck out of the hospital and talked the forest into leading her to my front door. And do you know what she said to me, Stiles?" Stiles shook his head, tears running freely down his face.

"She thanked me. She said she knew that it was me at your ceremony and she thanked me for blessing you with my presence, with my touch. Then she asked, if it wasn't too much of a bother, if I could keep an eye on her child because he was and always would be a trouble magnet, though his heart was in the right place. I promised her, even though she couldn't see me, couldn't hear me. I swore that I would watch over you. Which is why you are here, Stiles. Because I need your help to keep my promise," she finished, looking him dead in the eye.

 "What can I do? How can I help? You know I am not her Stiles, right? I have my own universe, my own promises. I can't stay here... I can't replace him and live here!" Stiles cried out. After her story, his emotions were high and his thoughts were scrambled all over the place.

"I would never, Stiles," she assured him.

"I would never take you from your home permanently. I just need your help to fix mine," She told him.

"What can I do?" Stiles asked.

"I need you to get Derek Hale to pull his head out of his ass," she told him frankly.

"What? I thought..."

"Derek 'fell in love' with that horrible Kate Argent girl." she started, disgust clear in her voice. "Even after I warned him not to! I told him she was just using him, but he wouldn't listen. ‘They were different, they were in love.’ Thankfully, Laura got a flat tire and she and Derek came home instead of going out the night that Kate tried to burn the place down. They caught her before she could close the circle of mountain ash and called for the parents to come out. They did and took care of it. No one was hurt except Kate. But Derek closed himself off. He shut me out and blames himself for something that never even happened!" she finished.

"So you want me to...what?" Stiles asked, not entirely sure why she couldn't just ask this universe’s Stiles to do it. ‘Actually, that is a good question.'

"Why can't you just ask your Stiles to talk with him?" Stiles asked.

"Several reasons: One, here they have never meet. Stiles was first too young and then, after his mom passed, the Hales decided that they would wait until he came into his mage, if he came into it. Which leads us to reason number two, this Stiles doesn't know about the supernatural. He never learned that the voices he heard were spirits and magical creatures. He thought he was going crazy. Three, because of this, that grief counselor of his gave him pills which dulls him. Which gives us the fourth reason; he can't hear me anymore and, whenever he does catch sight of me, he pretends that he can't see me and chants something about outgrowing imaginary friends. And, finally, my Stiles is no longer in this universe," she concluded.  

"What do you mean he is no longer in this universe?" Stiles asked

"I mean: I sent him to yours when I took you," she replied with a smile.

"What! Why?" Stiles questioned.

"Because, after his father was killed, Stiles became, self destructive. He thought he was cursed. That he didn't deserve to love or even live because he only brought pain and death," and, yeah Stiles could easily see that happening. Especially, if all he had was Scott in this universe. He probably thought that leaving would save Scott in the long run.

"So, I sent him to your world to show him that he can have love. That he is special and valuable and can do a lot of good. Also, I wanted him to learn about the supernatural, which will, hopefully, awaken his magic, bringing him to the Hales," she told him with a self-satisfied smile.

"I notice how you keep tying the Hales and Stilinskis together. The reason for that is....?" Stiles pointed out, and then took a step back from the truly terrifying grin on Mother Nature's face.

"That, my dear Stiles, is because of what originally drew me to Derek. You see, you and Derek are special," She told him.

"Special... how?" Stiles asked, feeling the desire to flee for the first time.

"You two are soul mates," She beamed.

"What?" Stiles no longer had any idea what was going on.

"You’re soul mates. That is very, very rare. Being a soul mate means that you will always end up together. No matter the world, universe, setting, gender, beings, anything. You two will always complete each other. It is almost unheard of anymore. No one's really sure how soul mates come to be. There are so many legends about them and they even pre-date me. Which is why it is so special, why I will do anything to protect them. Plus, you two grew on me. Especially Derek. He wormed his way under my skin and I owe him so much. He made me care again," she told him.

"So, let me get this straight..." Stiles started.

"You pulled me out of my universe so that I could talk Derek into realizing that he does, indeed, deserve love and should really open back up and talk to you because you miss him. Did I get that right?" Stiles asked with an eyebrow raise of his own. Mother Nature just smiled and nodded.

"Yep!" she said. At his look, she rolled her eyes and continued, "Well, it's not like I can do it! Derek won’t even see me. Literally! Also, you were able to convince your Derek that he deserved your love. And he actually got his whole family killed," she finished.

"Hey! It wasn't Derek's fault," Stiles defended.

"I know that," she said with another eye roll, "Now go convince him of it!"

"So, that's all I got to do? Really? I just need to sit Derek down and talk with him about feelings and then I am free to go back home?" Stiles questioned, skeptically.

"Yep!" She replied cheerfully.

"I feel like this is to easy. What's the trap?" Stiles questioned with narrowing eyes.

"No trap. Sometimes it really is that easy! Besides, you are still a Stiles. He'll open up to you easier than anyone else. Now chop chop! Time’s a wastin’!" she said with an almost manic grin, clapping her hands twice.

"Are you serious?" Stiles asked...air. That was what he was yelling at right now, air. More specifically, the air overlooking the street leading to the Hale house. Turning slowly, Stiles realized that, yes, she had just clapped him back to the Hale house. In fact, she had placed him right in front of the house with almost all the Hales outside looking at him. Right... So, how was he going to explain this?

"Stiles," Derek sighed, hand coming up to rub his forehead and that was totally unfair. It's not his fault Mother Nature dragged him into her drama... He didn't ask for this!

"It's not my fault!" Stiles claimed arms waving frantically, as if that would prove his point.

"I'm sure it's not," Talia reassured him. She was Stiles' favorite even if she was terrifying.

"Never-the-less, why don't you come in for a cup of coffee and explain to us why you went missing for three hours." she finished, motioning to the house behind her and, hello deja vu.

"Yeah, good idea," Stiles replied, walking towards the house with everyone else. He didn't miss the fact that Derek waited for Stiles to pass him before trailing behind him towards the house. And, dear Lord, how was he going to explain this? Was he even allowed to tell them that he was from an alternate universe? And what a relief that was. Knowing his father wasn't dead, made it easier for Stiles to breath. Now, back to the dilemma at hand...

'You can tell them,' and, holy shit, Mother Nature was now in his head! He heard her snort.

'Don't worry, I'm not staying. Takes way to much energy. I just wanted you to know that you can tell them. Have fun with your talk!'

'I hate you...' Stiles thought back at her and he swore that he heard her laughter as she faded from his mind.

Once again, as soon as everyone was settled around the kitchen table and given a cup of coffee, Stiles was the center of attention. However, this time he wouldn't be getting any breaks.

"So, I'm just gonna go for it, ok? No lies, no tricks, just the truth. So, hear me out till the end, ok?" Stiles informed the table at large. He looked around until everyone gave him a nod, eyes lingering on Derek who had chosen to sit next to him. And, if that didn't make Stiles' heart just swell.

"So, I'm from anther universe. Mother Nature, apparently, needed help solving a problem and her Stiles isn't... experienced?...Let's go with experienced... Experienced enough to help her. So, she pulled me over. However, I was unaware that this was happening, or that Mother Nature was even real, until about three hours ago when she called me out of Derek's room with her haze and mocked my intelligence for not knowing that I was in another universe. Which, is really unfair considering that I didn't even know there were multiple universes until I stumbled into this one..." Stiles took a sip of coffee to let that sink in, before starting again.

"So, I left my universe during autumn and came stumbling into your universe during spring. So, naturally I freaked out, thinking that I had been trapped in a time bubble or something and then I found out that my father was dead, which put me in total panic mode, so I ran to the place that I felt safest which was here, with Derek, who, in my universe, is my fiancé, to make sure that he hadn't died as well, only, I found you and you have no idea who I am, so you freaked out, which made me freak out worse, and then Mother fucking Nature decided to come looking for me in the creepiest way possible and..."

"Stiles, breath!" Derek called out, placing a hand on his shoulder and cutting him off.  Stiles closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then, he cleared his throat and finished up.

"Thanks, so, uh, yeah. Then Mother Nature gave me my mission, whether I chose to accept it or not, and told me that, once I finished it, I was free to go home. And that is why I showed up kissing Derek before vanishing for hours, only to materialize in front of your house. Any questions?" Stiles asked.

"Does this kinda thing happen to you often?" Laura asked, sounding honestly curious. What was wrong with this family? That was not the proper reaction to being told any one of the things Stiles had just mentioned, never mind all of it. With a sigh, Stiles resigned himself to never getting a  normal reaction to anything ever again and answered.

"I honestly wish that I could say no. That this was out of the ordinary and new. But, sadly, this is my life and, yes, things like this happen to me all the time. At least, this time, the supernatural being in question didn't want to drag me away and turn me into a pet."

"What!" Derek yelled, looking pissed and horrified on Stiles' behalf. Maybe there was some truth to what Mother Nature had said.

"Yeah, that happened once. Well, once for me, see..." Stiles started to explain.

"Boys," Talia interrupted, trying to hide her amused smile behind her coffee cup. Whatever, Stiles still, totally, saw it.         

"Let's focus on the problem at hand,"  she said, raising an eyebrow as if to dare them to argue.

"So, Stiles was sent on a quest by Mother Nature. How can we help with that?" Derek asked. Talia's other eyebrow rose in surprise.

"So, you believe that Mother Nature, not only exists, but also came here, herself to talk with Stiles?" Talia asked her son. Derek was now squirming in his seat looking guilty.

"Derek," Talia stated.

"I might have meet Mother Nature before, so I know Stiles isn't lying," Derek mumbled out, not making eye contact with anyone.

"Derek!" Laura cried out, obviously hurt that he had never told her.

"What? I haven't talked to her in ages!" Derek yelled back defensively.

"Actually, that's part of my 'quest.’ You need to open back up and talk to her again. She misses you, dude." Stiles told Derek, turning in his seat to look at him.

"I can't!" Derek cried, silencing the whole room.

"I can't. I don't deserve her friendship. Not after what I did. Not after everyone almost died because of me," Derek whispered miserably.

"Derek," Talia started, voice filled with sadness and hurt only a mother could fill for their child. This terrifying woman looked so helpless, reaching for Derek and stopping half way, knowing her child was hurt and that she was unable to fix it.

"Seriously, Der? Screw her! She..." Laura started with anger in her voice and a desperation to make her baby brother understand that was changing her eyes, before Stiles cut her off.

"Do you guys mind giving us a minute?" Stiles asked in a perfectly calm voice. Talia gave him a calculating look before nodding and standing. Laura and Mr. Hale followed her out, leaving Derek and Stiles alone. Stiles waited until he felt that they were out of hearing range, before turning to Derek. Derek, who was refusing to meet his eyes and looking miserable.

"You must hate me," Derek muttered, still looking down.

"What?" Stiles asked, honestly confused.

"Back home you've got this perfect Derek who never screwed up and took care of you. Then, you got dragged into this and you found out that I almost got my entire family killed. I must disgust you," Derek finally mumbled out with so much self loathing. And, God help him, Stiles laughed. He couldn't help it. Once he calmed down, he meet Derek's eyes, which were no longer looking down, but at him and were filled with shock and confusion.

"Back home," Stiles started, not even bothering to apologize. "My Derek did the same thing as you. He fell in love with an absolute monster. The only difference being that that night, Laura's car didn't get a flat. He and Laura came back that night to a burnt down home and ash."

"But how then..." Derek started, looking lost before trailing off. ‘How did he love? How did he forgive himself? How did he move on?’ Stiles heard every question that Derek didn't ask.

"He didn't," Stiles answered truthfully.

"I fought tooth and nail for him. I slaved away, day and night, to wear him down just enough for me to find out what had happened. And when he finally did it, when he finally broke down and told me, do you want to know what I said to him?" Stiles asked. Derek gave him a small, quick nod.

"I told him that I forgave him. I forgave him for falling in love. I forgave him for being too kind and caring to see through her act. I forgave him for surviving. I forgave him for being the victim. I forgave him for giving away his heart to a monster. I forgave him for trusting her. I forgave him because it was never his fault."

"But.." Derek started, but Stiles just kept on talking over him.

"He didn't plan it, did he? He didn't sit with her and give detailed outlines of the property. He didn't help her gather the supplies used to kill them. He didn't help her call in others. He didn't lay down the maintain ash. He didn't pour the gasoline. He didn't light the match. Hell, he didn't even give her the match. The only fault that he had was handing over his heart to a monster that only wanted to eat it. And I didn't even blame him for that. Do you know what else I said? What else I told him?" Stiles questioned, charged up all over again. Derek just shook his head, looking dumbfounded.

"I told him that the only thing I couldn't forgive was if he quit on me. If he just gave up on life, I would never forgive him. I would bring him back to life, just so that he could hear about how I would never forgive him. Because I could be patient. I could wait for him to open up to me. Or, if he wanted someone else, I could handle that too. But I would never forgive him if he left because he was wrongfully ashamed by what some monster did to him," Stiles finished with a flourish.

"What, uh, what did he say to all that?" Derek asked him quietly.

"Say? Nothing. The barbarian just looked at me, before kissing me to heaven and back. We then made love for the first time and it was one of the few times that I topped," Stiles said with a teasing grin. He laughed, again, at how red Derek turned at that piece of information.

"Then, in the morning, we looked up and found him a grief counselor who handled the supernatural. That really helped him with his survivor’s guilt and might be something you should look into. Might help with those pesky demons in your head..." Stiles said, turning serious again.

"I could maybe look into that," Derek told him, which Stiles felt was huge progress.

"But, where do I even start?" Derek asked him.

"Well, you could start by talking to Mother Nature again. She really is worried about you, dude," Stiles informed him. Derek groaned.

"I'm just… I'm so embarrassed! About what happened. About how I handled it. How could I ever ask her to forgive me when I ignored all of her warnings?" Derek asked him.

"Dude, seriously, she doesn't blame you at all. No one does. Just open up to her," Stiles told him.

"It's been so long, I'm not sure I even know how to anymore..." Derek informed him. Before Stiles could say anything, they both jumped at the snort behind them.

"Of course you do, you just did, you dufus, " and there was Mother Nature, standing in the archway of the Hale kitchen.

"Hey," Derek finally said, making her chuckle.

"Hey yourself," She replied. And then, there was hugging. Lots of hugging and apologizing and there might even have been tears. Stiles took it all in with a smile and a sip of his coffee.

Once they seemed to have sorted themselves out, Stiles called out, "So that was it, right? I can go home now, right? Not that I don't love you guys, but I miss my Derek. All this happy, touchy, feely stuff is slowly killing me."

They both laughed at him. Jerks.

"Yes, you can go home now. Thank you, Stiles," Mother Nature said to him and, wow, how awesome was that? Mother Nature, herself, had thanked him. That was just insane.

"What happens now? How does this all work out?" Stiles asked her.

"Well, at sundown, you will go for a walk in the forest again. You go home and my Stiles will come here again. Then, my Stiles will come train with the Hales to build up his magic and become a guardian in his own right," she informed him and, wait, did that mean...

"Does this mean that I have to go through the haze again?" Stiles whined and, this time, everyone laughed at him.

_____________________________________________________________________________

The rest of the day passed with celebration and questions. Stiles told them about Isaac, Erica, and Boyd. About how their life had improved, how they became part of something, part of a pack. The Hales promised to look into Isaac, Erica, and Boyd. Especially Isaac. Stile warned them that, where he went, Scott was sure to follow, which meant that they needed to be prepared. Then, just before sunset, Stiles said his goodbyes to the Hales. They were a cool family and he was going to miss them, but he was anxious to get back to his family, his pack.

"Stiles!" Mother Nature called out, just as he was about to leave.

"I am serious, ok? You have to find me when you get back to your world. Chances are, something similar happened there as it did here. But, since you never were in danger from yourself, I'm probably just moping around and pouting about being forgotten. Seriously, seek me out. I am positive that I will be ecstatic to see you two again. Promise me Stiles!"

"I promise, you harpy, I promise! Now, call your haze buddy and let me go home," Stiles said.

"Ok, ok, thats good. Bye Stiles, don't be a stranger!" she called out with a wave. Stiles couldn't have stopped the eyeroll that followed if his life depended on it.

"Bye guys! Be nice to other me," Stiles called back, giving a wave in return. Facing forward, Stiles smiled. He was going home.

___________________________________________________________________________

 Stiles took everything back. He hated the bloody haze. If he tripped over one more root, he was going to scream. Why she couldn't have just zapped him back, Stiles will never know.

Stiles was grumbling when he noticed that the haze was starting to clear. Perking up, Stiles picked up his pace. He was almost home. He smiled when the haze cleared enough to show a familiar forest. He about died when he saw the familiar group of people gathered in front of him.

"Did you guys miss me?" Stiles called out with a face-breaking grin, causing everyone to jump.

"Stiles!" Several voices yelled and, the next thing he knew, Stiles was at the bottom of a puppy pile. Everyone was hugging, petting, and just generally touching him all while talking his ear off. Oh, it was good to be home.

"Ok, everyone move, old man coming through," Stiles heard his dad say. Then, he was being raised to his feet and embraced in a good, old Stilinski hug. Stiles clung to his father. Even just a day of thinking that he had been killed was too much. After they had their father son moment, Stiles immediately scanned the area for Derek. Stiles found him talking to Scott about a welcome home barbeque. Without a second thought, Stiles took a running leap at him.

This time, however, when Stiles wrapped his arms around his neck, legs around his waist and kissed him desperately, Derek clutched his hips, holding him in place, and claimed his mouth in return.

"We planned a welcome home dinner for you," Derek whispered when they broke apart.

"Not tonight," Stiles said, placing kisses around Derek's face.

"Tonight, you are mine," Stiles informed him before reclaiming his mouth. God, Stiles had missed this, missed them.

"See you guys tomorrow night! Don't forget," a voice yelled after them as Derek carried Stiles home. Stiles couldn't tell you who that was for the life of him. He had better things to do tonight.     

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the late update. This fic had a mind of its own and took off. I lost control and now its almost 10,000 words long. Also, it’s 4 am and the letters are dancing off of the screen and I am constantly putting way too many vowels in my words. So, enjoy your super long fic as well as the much smaller one I should be posting later today (depending on my Beta’s homework tonight)!  
> As always, lets give a round of applause for my superb Beta! Without whom, none of this would happen and who is also the reason that you guys got a finished piece and not another work in progress. Thank you darling, you are amazing!  
> ‘Play it Again’ by Metisket  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/862320/chapters/1652969


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